The first half of John Carpenter's sci-fi movie “They Live,” before it becomes a straight-up action movie, is some of the most hilariously spot-on political satire I've ever seen. A homeless construction worker- played by Scottish-themed pro-wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper!- stumbles on a box of sunglasses left behind after a mysterious police raid on a nearby church. When he puts them on, he discovers the awful truth- the Earth has been colonized by exploitative aliens. Rich people and some cops are actually alien invaders.

Dollar bills really say “This is your God.” Billboards say things like: “Obey.” “Don't Question Authority.” “Reproduce.” “Conform.” All of this can only be seen if you wear the special glasses produced by the underground resistance, whose motto can be seen in graffiti all over the city: They Live, We Sleep.

After this jaw-dropping revelation, Rowdy Roddy acquires some firearms and goes on a shooting spree, seemingly murdering several innocent people- except they're really aliens in disguise. Eventually he hooks up with the resistance forces, and the movie becomes a Rambo-style shooting fest with a predictable ending.

The movie's main claim to fame, aside from the brilliant satire, is that it has one of the longest fist-fights ever seen in a movie. Rowdy Roddy's buddy doesn't want to put on the glasses and see the truth for himself, so the two of them duke it out and then duke it out some more, and then punch each other for a little while before going on to punch each other for a long while, concluding with some good old-fashioned fisticuffs.

It is what it is- but what it is, is cool!